


Defying Gravity

by karrenia_rune



Category: X-Factor (Comics)
Genre: AU, Character of Color: Rictor, Detective Noir, Gen, comunity: ric/star
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-12-22
Updated: 2010-12-22
Packaged: 2017-10-13 23:40:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,979
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/142963
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/karrenia_rune/pseuds/karrenia_rune
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Written for a prompt challenge found on the Ric/Star Livejournal community, a what-if type of story featuring  Rictor and Shatterstar with a cameo<br/>by Jamie Madrox in a detective film noir universe, with Rictor as a gum-shoe and Shatterstar as a caped crusader.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Defying Gravity

Title: Defying Gravity  
Fandom: Marvel Comics, X-Factor Investigations  
Author: karrenia  
Rating: PG-13  
Words: 2089  
AU, Detective Noir, for Ric/Star December Mini-Promptathon  
Characters: Rictor/Shatterstar and Jamie Maddrox  
aka Julio Montoya, Gabriel Knight, Jamie Miller  
LINK: http://community.livejournal.com/ricstar/

Disclaimer: X-Factor Investigations and the characters who appear here or are mentioned belong to Marvel Comics and their various creators.; they are not mine and are only 'borrowed' for the purposes of the story. Note: this is AU Detective Noir-verse.

 

"Defying Gravity" by karrenia

The highs and lows are never more apparent to him than right now. He went about sampling the trays of delicately sculpted shrimp baked into a pastry shell and sipping champagne.

All the while chatting up the elegantly dressed movers and shakers of his world; the expected behavior when one moves in these rarified circles; but somehow he suddenly found it all quite dull and scripted.

There is a part of his restless nature that will not be denied. His father is one to be counted among these circles and his only son will no doubt will inherit both the money and the estates.

Sometimes his father angrily and bemusedly went into tirades over his son's wayward nature.

Meanwhile Julio Montoya, unable or unwilling to let go of his glory days first as a beat cop and later on a successful career as a detective, wandered among the rich and powerful uncomfortable but determined.

It's been quite a while since he'd been dismissed from from New York's finest and they'd ordered him to turn in his badge and his gun; and as he tugged at his tie that he missed those times.

Of course, he still has friends in high and low places, that's why he's here, dressed in a faded suit jacket and dress slacks with the hem of the left leg fraying; which no one notices.

Which is fine by him. In fact remaining inconspicious actually came in handy in situations like these. His old partner had been the one who'd been the witty, charming, good with the ladies type. Jamie Miller, in point of fact, prided himself on being like  
that and Julio had become more or less accustomed to this aspect of their partnership.

A sudden agitated stirring caused ripples to spread across the crows and if his instincts honed during law enforcement had not been entirely dulled by time and a bit of drink, the stir had been one of both anticipation and impatience.

Julio ambled his way forward the crowd to get a closer look. Up on the raised stage for the orchestra had been had had pride of place taken over by one Evan Knight, his red hair such a vivid shade of right it had to have been dyed.

"We are gathered here to celebrate and honor members of our community whose work with the people and philanthropy have enriched all of our lives..."

Whatever else of the planned speech was to follow the intro had now become a dull roar in his ears as far as Gabriel Knight was concerned. He left the rotunda and then went out onto the streets to clear his head. Ignoring his limo driver and chose to walk home instead. If his father had intended that speech to encourage his wayward son into following in his footsteps then he would be rather disappointed. However, sometimes things just fell out that way.

****

The decision-making process that ultimately led up to his donning the masked persona along with the matching cape a fiery red as his own  
hair was not one he troubled too much over.

Prone to impulse decisions and rapid-fire action had made Gabriel Knight one person by day and another one by night.

**  
Jamie Miller knocked on Julio Montoya's door apartment door one afternoon with a manila envelope tucked underneath one arms and a white cardboard pizza box in his other hand.

"To what do I owe the pleasure?" Julio grunted when he crossed from his bedroom to the living room in order to open the door.

"Hey, man," drawled Miller, "I know you aren't on the force anymore and believe it or not some of our old buddies said they missed you; that sparkling wit. But what I came to say is that I've got something here that you might be interested in."

"Jamie, you should be aware that taking documents from the precinct, especially if they contain information pertaining to a case is frowned upon." Julio sighed and reached up to finger-comb some of the worst of the snarls from his shoulder-length brown hair.

"Yeah, I know. Which is why I didn't ask the chief."

Grinning at that and Miller's remembered devil-may-care attitude, Julio invited his friend the rest of the way inside and said. "Figures," he muttered even as he did so. "At least you brought pizza."

** Seated on the sofa in the midst of poring over the papers and grainy photographs that looked as if they had been taken by an amateur or someone whose subject had been photographed at a great distance with the use of a zoom lens, Julio took a bit of pizza and pinned Miller with his best level gaze. "So what am I to make of this?"

"Look, I realize I shouldn't be bothering with this, however," Miller cocked his head to one side as if thinking things through. "You see, it's like this. Normally I'd think it was just another case of someone with an advanced case of a hero complex."

"You're taking this seriously?" Julio gasped. "The grainy nature of the photos kinda make me believe that some nut-case journalist is trying to have some fun at the police's expense.

Jamie nodded and set down his can of beer that he had taken from Julio's fridge a while earlier. "Yeah, so would I if were just isolated incident."

"Just out to get attention."

"Except, there's been several eye-witnesses, mainly the dregs of humanity trussed up and left for the police to find and even they will attest," Miller paused and then added, "That it was the work of a masked vigilante."

"Well, hot damn!" exclaimed Julio. "That's a new one."

"The Chief does not like vigilantes of any stripe," replied Miller. "I thought...."

Julio leaned over and grabbed Miller's arm. "You thought that you and I would relive our glory days and go find this joker and bring him in."

"That was the general idea," replied Miller.

"I've told this before. We were partners and before that friends in the academy, but now you're just talking crazy!"

"Quite possibly, quite possibly," Jamie drawled while nodding his head slowly back and forth in a manner meant to convey agreement. "So you'll do it?"

"Madre de Dios! Julio exclaimed. "What the hell. It's not like I have anything else lined up at the moment."

"Good, you won't regret this."

"Famous last words," muttered Julio under his breath.

**** They had worked in this style before, trading off as needed, back-tracking all of the known sites where as the media called him, the Crimson Avenger, had been sited and the possible origin points had led them triangulate the Lower East Side. It had been Julio's decision to get radio head-sets so that they could communicate with each other, just in case.

Of course what 'just in case; might mean when confronting an individual who while not exactly breaking the law in his one-man pursuit against the baser echelons of the Manhattan while, technically, it was still problematic.

"Hey, you there, Montoya?" Miller's voice crackled through the ear-piece on his headset.

"Yes, I'm here. Did you find anything?"

"Not sure. But I've got a reliable lead," Miller replied.

"Shouldn't you be doing, like real police work?" Julio replied not beyond baiting his friend. He was feeling a bit on edge and then shoved the thought to a back corner of his mind. "Where are you?" he asked instead.

Miller took the gruffness in stride. "I had leave coming up, I decided to take it. Don't be such a downer."

"Don't be so talkative. It might give us away."

"To whom?" Miller griped. "To the alley inhabitants? You know, rats, cats, and street bums."

"Shut the hell up, Miller."

"Meet me at the corner of 68th Street and Lakeland. I've got something."

"I'm on my way."

*** Several stories above Julio Montoya's head a lean wiry, crimson-clad figured lean over the edge of the rooftop and listened and watched what was happening below him.

Somehow this investigation into his nocturnal activities had even been half-expected. The thrill and and the adrenaline rush had, at first been sparked as a way of rebelling against his father., then later on by the idea that he could actually make a difference.

He could, in his masked persona, make a dent in the pall of crime that had fallen over the city and its citizens. And if he were being honest with himself, Gabriel realized that was good at what he was doing. In the back of his mind he also realized that the years of his athletic training and rigorous discipline had now come in handy.

He allowed himself to descend from the heights in a controlled fall, tucking and rolling to pin the man in the battered brown trench coat to the wall of the alley.

Startled and angry at the same time Julio Montoya had just time to shove the crimson-clad figure to one side. "What the hell do you think you're doing, you crazy loon!"

Over the speaker in his radio head-set he heard Miller ask: "What that addressed to me?"

"Now, we've got a visual on our perp. Hell, I've got more than a visual because now he thinks I'm a pinata. Get over here, Miller! Now would be good!"

"Mind telling me why you've been following me?" the man in the mask questioned in a dreadfully calm but intimidating tone of voice.

The Crimson Avenger stepped back a pace to give Julio an once-over.

Montoya did not at first reply having to spend the first few moments catching his breath.

He took in the crimson red caped capped by an almost equally crimson red hair and the domino-style face mask. Along with the tight-fitting black under shirt and the matching red pants left little to the imagination of the muscled body underneath.

"Why do you think, idiot? Because it's good for my health?" No, because it's my job to put a stop to vigilantes like you."

"Your job?" queried the man in the mask. "The police have not had much success in either aiding my task or in preventing it. Why do you think you can succeed where they have failed?"

"I was a police detective once and a damn good one," blustered Julio. "Okay, he muttered with a catch in his voice that he could not hold back,"So, maybe they made me give up my badge and gun but I'm still damn good at doing this."

"Tracking twerps like you down. To be honest, it wasn't all that difficult 'cause you did leave a trail a blind mole could have followed."

"Even blind moles find buried treasure every once in a while," the other man replied with a laugh. "You want to know something?"

"What? Damn it!"

"You're all right in my book."

"I'm so happy to hear that," replied Julio.

The man who called himself the Crimson Avenger nodded eagerly and then added.

"Good. Excellent. At least we understand one another. This is a beginning to a beautiful friendship."

In the background he heard Miller's laughter that sounded as if here were liable to bust a gut and under his breath Julio Montoya, despite his own hard-bitten sarcasm could not help but laugh himself. "Well, if that don't beat all? What the hell have I gotten myself into this time?"


End file.
